Wine and Spirits, Part I

Posted on May 17, 2013 by budinger

One of the fascinating aspects of the refurnishing effort at Kenmore is that with every new room, we encounter a new set of room uses to be researched and discussed.  While the focus of the Chamber furnishing work was on all the activities surrounding the running of a household – keeping of the family accounts, direction of servants and slaves, educating children, entertaining friends and family – our focus in the Dining Room is very different.  In the grandest room at Kenmore, much of the emphasis is on the public face of the Lewis family and their desire to entertain visitors in the most lavish way possible.  One aspect of that lavish entertainment in the 18th century was most definitely alcohol – how one procured it, stored it, served it and even displayed it are all topics for the Dining Room.  Today we will cover furniture related to alcohol consumption. 

As usual, we start with the 1781 probate inventory.  Interestingly, not a single piece of alcohol-related paraphernalia is listed as being in the Dining Room.  However, on the second floor, in a room that appears to be used for “lumber” or storage of odds and ends, the inventory lists “1 Case & Nine Bottles”, “1 Case with 11 Bottles” and “1 Cooler”.  The cases with bottles are probably references to “bottle cases”, or as they are sometimes called “cellarettes”.

A cellarette-on-stand in the GWF collection, made in Virginia, ca. 1770

  Cellarettes were essentially small wine cellars, lidded boxes often on stands intended to be placed in the dining room, near the table or sideboard.  They contained bottles of various wines and spirits decanted from the larger casks and barrels usually stored in the actual cellar of a house.  Diners could serve themselves from the cellarette or a servant could do it.  Sometimes these cellarettes would be fitted with a sliding panel in front to provide a work surface on which to prepare mixed drinks. 

A creamware monteith in the GWF collection, ca. 1780

The reference to a “cooler” probably indicates a wine cooler of some type.  “Wine cooler” was a name given to several different forms.  Some were simply ceramic or metal buckets that would fit a single bottle of wine, and could be filled with cold water and set on a tabletop.  A more elaborate version would be the “monteith”, a bowl which could also be ceramic or metal and was intended to cool one or two bottles of wine, as well as several wine glasses which could rest in the bowl’s scalloped edge.  Another version is a large wooden or metal tub, often on a stand, that was lined with copper or lead and could hold several wine bottles at once.  Such a wine cooler would be placed on the floor near the

A wine cooler-on-stand, lead-lined

 dining table or sideboard, perhaps adjacent to a cellarette.  In this case, we cannot be certain which type of wine cooler is being referenced in the probate inventory.

Why are these items, obviously related to the service of alcohol, listed on the second floor of Kenmore and not in the Dining Room? Remember, at the time of Fielding Lewis’s death in 1781, he had not been in residence at Kenmore for some time.  There would have been little need for such furniture in the Dining Room during those months, as no entertaining would have been taking place.  They were probably moved in to storage simply to get them out of the way, but it is safe to assume that they would have been primarily used in the Dining Room.  For that reason, when the Dining Room furnishing is complete, we will display a cellarette and a wine cooler in the room, just as Fielding and Betty would have done.

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What We Thought We Knew…But Didn’t

Posted on April 18, 2013 by budinger

Lately we have been spending quite a bit of time around here planning for several upcoming events at Kenmore, all related to a rather unusual topic for us – World War II.  During the war years, the Kenmore Ladies Association opened the property to soldiers on leave or new recruits getting ready to depart, hosting almost 60,000 of them.  Soldiers were served tea and gingerbread in the kitchen and entertained with music and tours.  The USO held dances on Kenmore’s lawn, inviting young ladies from the local college to attend.  A jukebox sat in front of the west steps, and occasionally live performances were held.  Several soldiers met their wives at those events, and eventually there were weddings held in the garden for those couples. 

In order to commemorate those years of service, students from the University of Mary Washington’s museum design class have spent the last semester developing an exhibition on Kenmore during the war.  The results of their hard work will be on display when We Did Our Part: Kenmore during the Second World War opens to the public in our Visitor Center on April 29th.  The student exhibition will remain up for viewing through Memorial Day when it will be part of a series of special events over the weekend, including a USO swing dance on the lawn that Friday evening (for more information on these and other events, please visit our events page and also visit the exhibit’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kenmoreduringwwii). 

During the course of the student’s exhibit research, and our own preparations for the Memorial Day weekend events, we have spent a lot of time looking at old photographs of Kenmore’s interior.  Those photographs show us a great deal about many things we thought we knew, but more recently have come to realize we didn’t know at all.  This situation is especially evident in the Dining Room.  The room that we know as the Dining Room today (the largest room in Kenmore) was not actually called the Dining Room in the 1940’s.  In fact, almost every room on the main floor of Kenmore has been identified as the Dining Room at one time or another during the house’s history as a museum.  The problem stems from the fact that the 1781 probate inventory does in fact identify the names of all the rooms, but it does not tell us which room matched which name. 

The current Dining Room as it was in the 1940's - envisioned as the Drawing Room and used as a great hall

Over the years, as understanding of 18th century household architecture evolved, the thinking behind the placement of the Dining Room changed.  For a while it was thought that the current Dining and Drawing Rooms were reversed, and that the larger space was used more like a “great hall”, while the smaller one was reserved for taking meals.  “Hall” was the early 18th century designation given to a large catch-all room used for eating, entertaining and even sleeping – a common room of sorts.  Of course, that was also at a time when it was believed that Kenmore was constructed in 1752, when the existence of a hall was more likely.  By 1775, the concept of a great hall had mostly gone out of

The current Chamber as it was in the 1930's - envisioned as the Dining Room

 fashion.  Later, it was believed that the room we now know as the Chamber was the Dining Room, which had more to do with the idea that it seemed logical for the Dining Room and Drawing Room to be the two rooms connected by the servants’ passage. 

The current Dining Room’s location was confirmed through clues uncovered during the restoration.  For example, the restoration showed us that the closet in the Dining Room was designed to hold a great deal of weight on its shelves, while other closets in the house were not.  The probate inventory does indeed list very weighty items in the Dining Room closet, such as glass, china, silver and a variety of serving pieces.

The current Dining Room around the turn of the 20th century, showing the wooden picture frame moldings on the walls

Another one of those things we thought we knew was the existence of the “picture frame” moldings on the walls of the current Dining Room.  When Kenmore was restored for the first time, shortly after it was acquired by the Kenmore Ladies Association in the 1920’s, wooden moldings, similar to the plaster ones we have today, were removed from the room’s walls because it was though that they could not have existed in the 18th century.  During the most recent restoration, after layers and layers of old paint and wallpaper were stripped from the walls, ghost outlines of original decorative plaster moldings were found on the walls, exactly where the wooden ones had been.  Turns out, the Dining Room did have picture frame molding on the walls after all! Tiny fragments of those moldings were also located during the restoration, and so exact replicas were fabricated and returned to the walls. 

What we thought we knew…

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Shards and Fragments, Part 2

Posted on April 11, 2013 by budinger

As you may recall, several months ago we discussed the results of recent analysis of archaeological finds in the Kenmore kitchen yard.  In that post, I described what the analysis told us about the types of glassware that were in use in Kenmore’s Dining Room during the Lewis era.  Today, I would like to re-visit the topic and discuss what archaeology has revealed about the types of ceramics owned by the Lewis family.  As we move forward with the furnishing of the Dining Room throughout 2013, these clues as to glassware and ceramics will be a big part of our selections for the room.

The only specific mention in the 1781 probate inventory of ceramics that would logically be found in the Dining Room is “13 Queens China dishes  & 18 plates with a Tureen” (“Queens China” or queens ware is what we typically refer to as creamware today).  The 1797 estate sale listing refers to quite a bit of china, but gives almost no descriptive information, with the exception of “elegant” and another “Queens China”.  Betty Lewis’s 1797 probate inventory from Millbrook references “6 Dishes green-edged and 1Doz&5 plates [ditto]” but is otherwise silent on the subject of dining room ceramics.   However, in looking at the shards and fragments recovered during the excavations at Kenmore in 1996 and 2003, the Foundation’s ceramics and glassware specialist, Mara Kaktins, was able to identify quite a bit more. 

According to Mara’s analysis, most of the fragments found at Kenmore that were identifiable as pieces of plates or dishes were white, salt-glazed stoneware, which is an English ceramic.  Our fragments show two decorative patterns on the plate rims – one known as “barley corn” and one known as “dot diaper basket”. 

An example of a shard showing the "barley corn" pattern

 Salt-glazed stoneware like this was generally produced between 1740 and 1755, which is at best still 20 years before the Lewis family moved in to Kenmore, which would seem to present a problem.  However, stoneware is very durable, and could remain in use for decades.  As it tended to have more of an every-day usage, rather than being used for

An example of the "dot diaper basket" pattern

 formal entertaining or special occasion, it did not need to be on the cutting-edge of household fashion.  Its age also supports our theory that the Lewis family may not have been buying brand new items for Kenmore, but rather re-using what they already had, due to financial constraints. 

An example of the green feather-edge decoration

Another fragment found in the kitchen yard provides us with an exciting connection to an original document.  Mara was able to identify the rim of a green feather-edge, creamware plate.  Feather-edge was a decorative technique often found on nicer ceramics in the 18th century and it usually came in blue, purple or green.  This fragment would seem to directly relate to the “6 Dishes green-edged and 1Doz&5 plates [ditto]” reference in the Millbrook inventory. 

Between the evidence left to us in probate inventories and Mara’s analysis of our shards and fragments, we can now safely say that Kenmore’s Dining Room was stocked with a variety of both fine and every day ceramics, including creamware, stoneware and some lovely green edges!

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Overhead and Underfoot

Posted on April 2, 2013 by budinger

The Northeast corner of the Dining Room ceiling.

At the moment, in its unfurnished state, the ceiling in Kenmore’s Dining Room would be considered the room’s most prominent feature.  It is simply impossible not to look up and stare upon entering the room.  It is hard to imagine, therefore, that during the Lewis’s time, there may have been something in the Dining Room that attracted even more attention than the ceiling.  That something was the carpet on the floor.

If we were to go strictly by the 1781 probate inventory, and combine that with what was typical of other Virginia houses on par with Kenmore, we might actually leave the Dining Room floor bare, or perhaps cover portions of it with grass matting (as George Washington did at Mount Vernon).  Carpets of any kind were rare in the American colonies, due to expense and availability.  Even the wealthiest households often had bare floors.  But that was not the situation in Kenmore’s Dining Room.

Despite its omission from the probate inventory, we know that there was indeed a carpet on the floor in the Dining Room.  During the restoration, original 18th century carpet tacks were found in the threshold of the doorway between the Passage and the Dining Room.  Additionally, fibers found still attached to the tacks were wool and had been dyed red.  The placement of the carpet tacks in

Example of an 18th century carpet cut to fit around a fireplace hearth.

 the center of the threshold also suggests that the carpet was “fitted”, cut to follow the exact outline of the room.  The Dining Room is the largest room at Kenmore, and any carpet cut to fit its dimensions would have been not only incredibly expensive, but difficult to find.   Most carpets were still being imported from England, although American-made carpets did exist.  Kenmore’s Dining Room carpet therefore is a bit of a mystery.  We know that Fielding Lewis was already suffering from financial issues as construction on Kenmore came to an end.  He did have access to English carpets through his shipping interests, but what could he have afforded?

Options available at the time included what was known as “Scotch” carpet, which was an ingrain, or reversible, flat-woven carpet.  Scotch carpets were durable and came in a variety of patterns and colors.  It was probably the cheapest option that would still be acceptable in a grand room like Kenmore’s Dining Room.  On the higher end of the scale were Wilton carpets, which were thick pile carpets in fantastical colors and patterns, often floral and geometric designs intended to mimic the ceiling decoration in a room.  As Kenmore was being constructed, we can safely assume that a Wilton carpet is what Fielding and Betty Lewis imagined for their showplace Dining Room.  But was that dream ever realized? 

Another option for American homeowners who wanted a high end carpet was to purchase one secondhand.  Because they were such a monumental investment, carpets were used and re-used until they quite literally fell apart.  They might be moved from house to house for decades, being rolled or cut to fit different room sizes.  Advertisements in the Virginia Gazette show that carpets were often among the household goods being sold at estate sales, or when a colonist closed up their house to return to England (a situation that was fairly frequent in the days leading up to the Revolution).  One such clearance sale was held on August 12th, 1771 at Jane Vobe’s tavern (now Christiana Campbell’s Tavern) in Williamsburg.  August 12th was a court day, and Fielding Lewis was in Williamsburg.  A carpet was listed among the items being sold.  While we have no indication that Fielding bought anything at the sale, or even attended it, it does show us the tantalizing possibility that Kenmore’s Dining Room carpet may have started its life in another house altogether.

As you may have guessed, we are still in the process of deciding what the carpet in the Dining Room should look like – but stay tuned! It’s sure to be quite the showstopper!

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Onward!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by budinger

Our regular readers may have noticed that we’ve taken a break from this blog for a few months.  And the reason? We have been incredibly busy installing a new exhibit in the Kenmore visitor center, which officially opened to the public on March 1st.  The new exhibit is entitled The Patriots Lewis: What Would You Give? It provides our visitors with an overview of the Lewis family and Kenmore, as well as delving into the sacrifices they made in support of the Revolution.  If you have never considered Kenmore to be anything more than a beautiful old house, I highly recommend taking the time to see this exhibit.  It might just give you a whole new perspective!

As many of you may remember, the exhibit in the visitor center prior to the new installation featured furniture made in 18th century Virginia.  So, where is that furniture now? I’m sure you can guess – it has been moved into Kenmore itself as part of the ongoing refurnishing effort! As I mentioned in the last post, the Dining Room is our project for 2013, so much of what was in the old exhibit is now on display there.  While we still have a long way to go before the Dining Room is complete, visitors will see big changes already. 

Fine art handlers from ARTEX move a table from the exhibit gallery into Kenmore's Dining Room

When Kenmore was constructed in the 1770’s, Fielding and Betty Lewis envisioned a grand dining room that would be the talk of the town, and the stage for the most lavish parties.  Unfortunately, that vision was short-lived.  As we have discussed, the Lewis family moved in to Kenmore on the eve of the Revolution.  It is entirely possible that not a single party was ever held at Kenmore, and its elegant Dining Room was never used as intended. 

But the Dining Room was at the ready, should the occasion arise! According to the 1781 probate inventory, the room was outfitted with 15 chairs and 2 dining tables.  Its ceiling is adorned with the most elaborate of Kenmore’s famous plasterwork, and physical evidence gathered during the restoration tells us that there was an enormous fitted carpet covering the entire floor.  Clearly, the Dining Room was intended for great things.

Towards the end of the 18th century, entertaining spaces in houses like Kenmore were undergoing a bit of a change.  While for many years, having a formal dining room in one’s house was a point of pride and a mark of financial success, the room’s importance began to give way to the formal drawing room or parlor.  These two rooms functioned in tandem – a full evening’s entertainment required the use of both rooms – but the drawing room gradually became the more lavishly appointed room, with the more expensive furnishings and finishes.  This transition is somewhat evident at Kenmore.  Although the Dining Room had an expensive carpet, and the ceiling decoration was truly breathtaking, the furnishings listed in the probate inventory were not as valuable as those found in the Drawing Room.  Additionally, the Drawing RoomThe unfurnished Drawing Room, including it's wallpaper and ceiling decoration had its own expensive floor covering, as well as flocked wallpaper and another intricate plasterwork ceiling.  Because Betty and Fielding Lewis were never able to host the grand parties that they had once hoped for, it is likely that the smaller Drawing Room actually saw more use than the Dining Room for entertaining.  So, what was the Dining Room used for?

We can be sure that no room at Kenmore went to waste.  As in every 18th century household, all rooms were multi-purpose.  In other houses of the period, there is written documentation that dining rooms were used as sitting rooms during the daytime.  Children often had their daily lessons in the dining room, and gentlemen could use the space as an additional office or study.  We know that Fielding’s desk and collection of books was in the Dining Room at the time of his death in 1781, indicating that he might have used the room for this purpose.  Because a dining room was usually the largest room in the house it may have also been used for chores that took up a lot of space, such as hanging laundry to dry when the weather was bad.

Dining room furnishings were also multi-purpose, and as in other rooms of the house, had to be very mobile.  Rather than having one large banquet-style table that remained permanently in place, the Lewis family had two smaller dining tables, probably drop leaf, which could be used one at a time or together, depending on the number of people dining.  The tables could also be moved around the room or even into other rooms as the situation dictated.  On a typical day, a visitor to Kenmore would see the Dining Room “at rest”, with both tables folded up and pushed aside, lining the walls along with all 15 chairs. 

As with the Chamber, our challenge in refurnishing the Dining Room is to convey a sense of this mobility and changing usage to our visitors.  How do we express the idea that a room as grand as the Dining Room may have had laundry hanging in it, or that it could be full to capacity with people and furniture or completely empty on any given day? A challenge to be sure, but also a very important part of our story here at Kenmore!

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New Acquisition!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by budinger

2012 has come to a close, and with it our Chamber furnishing project.  It was a fun year, full of interesting finds and fascinating stories, but it is time to move on to other rooms at Kenmore, and their stories.  As you may recall, our project for 2013 is the Dining Room, and in the coming weeks I’ll be filling you in on all that it entails, but in the meantime we want to share our latest acquisition with you!

This ca. 1770 walnut armchair was made right here in the Fredericksburg-Falmouth area, and has been attributed to the famed William Walker Jr. shop.  Sometime in the 19th century, it was converted to a necessary chair (hence the hole in the center of the seat), but otherwise is has remained virtually untouched.  Recent examination shows that remnants of the original upholstery and seat webbing are still attached.  It is a fantastic, and rather rare, find and we are thrilled to bring this chair to Kenmore!

William Walker Jr. was the second generation of a family of cabinetmakers and builders who emigrated from Scotland to Virginia in the mid-18th century.  Their work and profound influence on furniture and style in colonial Virginia has been the subject of new scholarship (American Furniture, 2006), and it has recently become apparent that Fredericksburg was actually a center of high quality craftsmanship.  Many pieces once attributed to the shops of Williamsburg have been reattributed to the Walkers, as well as several other furniture makers who were making their presence known in this area.  Fielding Lewis did not have to look far past his own neighborhood to find the kind of quality furnishings suitable for Kenmore. 

Two Walker armchairs. Our newest acquisition (left) and the existing chair int he GWF collection (right). Note: the chair on the right was raised in height at some point in its history.

The GWF collection already includes a very similar Walker armchair, with the trademark heart cut into the splat, that was collected in the 1930’s, before any connection to Fredericksburg furniture makers had been made.  In addition, a set of six side chairs showing the heart cut-out exist in the collection, although their connection to any of the Walker shops is still unclear.  All eight chairs will become part of the furnishings of the Dining Room, where we know that there were 15 walnut chairs in use during the Lewis years. 

One of the set of six possible Walker side chairs.

When Kenmore re-opens to the public on March 1st, we hope you will take the time to stop in and see our newest acquisition!

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Done at Last: The Finished Chamber

Posted on December 11, 2012 by budinger

View of the Lewis bedstead from the northwest corner of the room

As promised, we have a big announcement this week! The Chamber, at long last, is done! That’s right, after a year and a half of work, the Chamber is completely furnished.  Everything from the reproduction bedhangings to the silver teaspoons sitting on the tea board have been brought in to the room.  Now we can honestly say that this room is as close to the world that Betty Lewis knew as we can make it.  And there is a reason for everything.  Let’s take a closer look at a few of the decisions that were made over the last year.

Obviously, the most dramatic addition to the room is the bedhangings and counterpane on the bedstead.  You may remember that we have discussed how we researched what bed curtains may have been in the room here and here.  The result is a striking set of bright yellow, wool curtains and valance trimmed with fringe and silk tape, and topped with a mahogany cornice.  The counterpane is decorated with crewelwork embroidery and also trimmed with fringe.  I will save the details of how these final choices were made for the next post – they are a story unto themselves!

Next, let’s take a look at Betty’s “desk of drawers” as she

The Lewis desk, outfitted for Betty's use

 described it in her 1797 will, when she left it to her son George.  You may recall that we decided to place the desk in the Chamber, despite the fact that it was not listed in the 1781 probate inventory, because we felt that it should be in the room where Betty conducted her daily business and ran the household.  Now, the desk is accessorized with all the things Betty would use on a daily basis.  Stores of expensive goods, such as sugar and spices sit to one side, waiting for one of the servants to collect them for use in the kitchen.  Betty’s own tea caddy sits next to a tea chest that is very similar to the one her Uncle Joseph sent to her from England in 1749 (tea would also be kept under lock and key in the Chamber, where the lady of the house could control its use).  Her indispensable books, The Compleat Housewife and Hannah Glasse’s Art of Cookery, both listed in the 1781 probate inventory, sit at the ready.  A silver standish, or inkstand (which may also have a Lewis family provenance), waits to be used for the keeping of the household accounts or the writing of letters to family and friends.  Even the teacup and spoon placed on the desk have a reason – the teacup is creamware, which the 1781 inventory indicates was the primary type of tableware in use in the Lewis household, and the teaspoon would match the set of 12 that were listed among the silver in Kenmore in 1781.

By the fireplace...

Across the room, a needlepoint firescreen is displayed in front of the fireplace.  Although no firescreen was listed in the probate inventory, it was an item commonly used in any room where people might be sitting very close to the fire and would want to block the direct heat.  The needlepoint is of a type that Betty may very well have been capable of producing herself – archaeological finds at Ferry Farm have shown that Mary Washington trained her daughter in the art of fine needlework from an early age.  Betty’s personalized pocketbook, also decorated in needlework, sits on the candlestand in front of the firescreen, along with her snuff box.

At the foot of the bed, on one of the two stools in the room, a

Liverpool teaset sits on a tea board

 mahogany tea board (or serving tray) holds a matching teapot and creamer.  The probate inventory lists two tea boards in Kenmore – one mahogany, and one metal.  The tea set was made in Liverpool, England, where Fielding Lewis’s ships traded almost exclusively.  He would have had access to such ceramics, and very likely purchased some of them for use in his own house.

A lady's dressing table

On the dressing table, we see a dressing glass (or mirror) as listed in the probate inventory.  The tiny ointment pot sitting on the mirror’s shelf is identical to the one found in the archaeological excavations of Kenmore’s kitchen yard, and the earrings displayed once belonged to Betty and descended through the Lewis family.  Just beyond the dressing table, there is a washstand with a bowl and water bottle, all of which were listed in the probate inventory on the second floor of the house. 

While each individual item in the room required research and investigation, together they give us a complete picture of what life was like for Betty Lewis in the Chamber at Kenmore.

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Sneak Peek!

Posted on December 7, 2012 by budinger

Some very exciting things have been happening in the Chamber lately! Here’s a few photos to give you a sneak peek.  Stay tuned to for a big announcement on Monday!

Conservator Tom Snyder is assembling...something

 

Yes, it's big!

Fleming-Smith Scholar Hannah, standing between two very tall ladders...hmmm, what could those be for?

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Shards and Fragments

Posted on November 8, 2012 by budinger

As we are rapidly approaching the completion of the Chamber refurnishing, we are beginning to look ahead to other rooms in the house, as well.  The Dining Room will be our next project, starting in 2013, and already we have found some fantastic clues to help us on our way.

Because Kenmore is only one of the sites owned and operated by the George Washington Foundation, we benefit from the skills and knowledge of a number of experts in other fields.  In this case, the archaeology department at Ferry Farm has helped us learn quite a bit about the Dining Room at Kenmore and its contents.  Mara Kaktins, the Foundation’s ceramics and glass specialist, recently took some time to go over the finds from excavations on the Kenmore kitchen yard done in 1996 and in 2003.  While previous analysis of the excavations was focused more on how the Lewis family was using the land immediately around the house, we needed to know about the actual objects (or rather pieces of objects) that came out of the ground.  Shards and fragments can tell us specifically what items were actually being used on-site at a specific time – no guesswork needed. 

There are three spaces at Kenmore where ceramics and glass would have been primarily used.  The Kitchen, obviously, would have contained a variety of utilitarian ceramics such as cooking and baking dishes, storage jars, water and milk jugs, and other heavy, durable pottery.  Glass could also be found in the Kitchen, but again it would be a thick, sturdy type, used more for storage than decorative purposes.  Inside the house, the 1781 probate inventory indicates that there were two rooms in which ceramics and glass were stored – the Dining Room and the Drawing Room.  In both cases “sundry china and glassware” were listed in the closets.  Unfortunately “sundry” is the only descriptor given.  It would be expected that the finer ceramics and glassware would be located in these rooms, where most of the public entertaining took place, but what types did the Lewis’s own?

Later documents from the 1797 Lewis estate sale give us a few more specifics – “3 cyder glasses” and “green edge plates” among them, but again most items in the list fall under the heading of “sundry”.  Alone, these references would seem to indicate that whatever china and glassware the Lewis family owned, it was of very little value and not of any impressive nature that warranted comment.  That premise would also fit very well within what we know about Fielding Lewis’s financial situation at the time.  It was unlikely that he was purchasing the best and most expensive goods for his new home.  But would the physical evidence support that premise?

In short, no.  Mara’s analysis of the archaeological evidence found at Kenmore tells us that Betty and Fielding Lewis were setting their table with some very nice stuff.  Today, I’ll share the glass findings.

Example of a wine glass with a similar air twist pattern to the fragments found at Kenmore. Image courtesy of Butler's Antiques.

Perhaps the most interesting items that were discovered were fragments of two types of stemware (most likely wine glasses).  These stem fragments represented two sets of glasses, both using a very elaborate air twist decoration.  An air twist is made when the glass blower introduces a bubble of air into the molten glass and then twists it as the glass is elongated.  Such decoration is incredibly intricate, and required a high level of skill on the part of the glass blower.  These sets of glasses were not inexpensive, and represented a serious investment of money.  Mara estimates that the Kenmore fragments date to approximately 1760.  At that time, air twist glassware was produced both in the colonies and in Europe.  With Fielding’s access to the English market, he could have obtained his in either place.

Another form of glass that was found in profusion at the Kenmore excavation was a tumbler.  The fragments indicate at least 3 different styles of tumbler, so it was a drinking vessel used quite a bit by the Lewis family and their guests.  One of the tumblers is a rather plain cylinder, and another is a molded hexagon or octagon shape.  The third variety is a bit fancier – a cut glass hexagon.  Tumblers were used in the 18th century just as they are today – for a variety of drinks and spirits, in a more casual setting such as a party, rather than at the dinner table.

Another type of glass discovered is still a bit of an enigma.  Mara was able to identify it as “flashed glass”, in which clear glass

18th century flashed wine glasses.

 is coated on one side with a thin layer of colored glass, and then the colored glass is cut through or removed in certain areas to create an interesting pattern.  Flashed glass was used for a variety of objects – perfume bottles, vases, drinking glasses.  Unfortunately, the Kenmore fragments are too small to determine what our form was, but it was definitely a pink or cranberry red color with gold scrollwork decoration – very showy.

This analysis of archaeological findings is just another example of why the furnishing of an historic house like Kenmore is no easy task.  The probate inventory gave us no indication that the glassware being used by the Lewis family was anything of note, and yet the physical evidence tells us that they were in fact using some of the best available at the time.  When the Dining Room is complete, there will be air twist stemware and cut glass tumblers in the closet! Many thanks to Mara Kaktins for a great job!

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Personal Possessions

Posted on October 11, 2012 by budinger

On the docket for today – a few more of the finishing details that will be going into the Chamber very shortly!

As we have been discussing over the last few months, the Chamber was very much Betty Lewis’s domain.  Therefore it seems only fitting that a few of her own personal belongings should be in the room.  We are lucky enough to have three such items in our collection, all of which descended through the Lewis family.

First, let’s take a look at the needlework pocketbook bearing Betty

The pocketbook is decorated with depictions of a an owl, a bird and a cat.

 Lewis’s name, which dates to approximately 1760.  It descended directly from Betty to her youngest son Howell, and to his daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter.  It would have been used to hold needles and tiny sewing implements, or other small items of daily use, between its cardboard dividers that create two flat compartments.  Its size and narrow shape would have allowed it to easily fit in Betty’s pocket, hence the name.  Although it is decorated with Betty’s name, that might not indicate that the needlework was her own.  Such pocketbooks were often produced by professionals, who then stitched the name of the individual buyer on to each one.  However, recent examination by an 18th century needlework authority revealed that the needlework exhibited on the pocketbook was not quite precise enough to be the work of a professional stitcher.  It is more likely that it was done by someone with some skill, but who only did needlework for personal use.  We know that Betty had been trained in fine needlework while growing up at Ferry Farm, so it may be possible that this little pocketbook represents her work.  In any case, it is beautiful example that has survived very well with its brilliant original colors still visible. 

The colorless topaz stones are backed with foil to increase their brilliance.

Secondly, we have a pair of topaz and silver earrings dating to ca. 1775 that also belonged to Betty.  In Betty’s will, she leaves all of her clothing and jewelry to her only surviving daughter Betty Lewis Carter.  These earrings descended through the Carter family until they were donated to the Foundation in 2003.  They represent the only known piece of either clothing or personal accessory associated with the Lewis family, and therefore give us a rare, although tiny, glimpse into Betty’s personal tastes.  These earrings would have been imported from England, and their date suggests that they might have been among the last luxury goods procured by the Lewis family before trade with England came to a near-standstill during the Revolution. 

Lastly, we have an item that might be rather unfamiliar to us

The intricate scrollwork also includes flowers and a small dog.

 today – a lady’s snuff box.  In the 18th century, women used snuff just as much as men did, and in fact it was considered a mark of refinement to use snuff rather than to smoke a tobacco product.  Ornately decorated little boxes like this one were important accessories of daily dress, and a lady might own several.  This one is made of tortoiseshell inlaid with gilt brass scrollwork.  It also descended through Betty Lewis Carter’s family until it was donated in 1983. 

All of these objects will be used in the Chamber to further illustrate what Betty Lewis’s daily life was like.

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